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  • APC uncovers plot to split party at convention

    APC uncovers plot to split party at convention

    Pressure on aspirant, ex-governor, supporters to walk out

    A plot to disrupt the National Convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) coming up in Abuja on Friday has been uncovered.

    Some forces in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are said to be working on a chairmanship aspirant, a former governor and their followers to walk out of the convention if the result does not favour the aspirant.

    The PDP’s plan, it was learnt, is to disrupt the convention the way some governors and party leaders walked out of the last PDP National Convention.

    The PDP elements are blaming APC for the emergence of the defunct New PDP at their convention in Abuja on August, last year.

    Four candidates are interested in APC’s National Chairmanship.

    They are former Edo State Governor John Odigie-Oyegun; former Minister of Foreign Affairs Chief Tom Ikimi; former Bayelsa State Governor Timpreye Sylva, and a former PDP Deputy National Chairman Sam Jaja.

    A highly-placed source said: “Intelligence reports have shown that some PDP elements have been meeting covertly with one of the chairmanship aspirants, a former governor and their followers to stage a walkout at the national convention.

    “After the walkout, the affected stalwarts will use the scene as an excuse to defect to PDP which they had been working for.

    “The plot is to show that APC is a party which cannot put its house in order. These forces are also embarking on vengeance mission following assumptions that APC fueled the emergence of the former New PDP.

    “These forces are also scared of having a formidable opposition party in the country which may lead to a change at the centre in 2015.

    “So, their target is to cause disaffection in the party and embarrass the leaders. We have got wind of this and those behind it cannot go far.”

    Another source said: “We are aware that some of those behind the plot had paid a nocturnal visit to a former PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur before it boomeranged.

    “One thing I can assure you is that APC is irrevocably committed to its mission and we will not allow the plot to succeed.

    A former governor, who spoke with our correspondent, said: “Naturally, you expect that some black sheep will try to undermine the APC but the party is well-intended that nothing can stop its progress.”

    Yesterday in Abuja the Convention Secretary, Senator Chris Ngige told reporters that APC had not zoned any position.

    Asked to confirm whether the positions were zoned, the former Anambra State Governor said “No! Zoning is an arrangement. Even if we are zoning, it has to be a consensus. So even if we are zoning it is going to be a consensus arrangement. But we will not deprive anybody his right as enshrined in the constitution of Nigeria.”

    Ngige, who confirmed that some people have obtained nomination forms, however, declined to mention their names.

    He earlier rolled out the names of different sub- committee members in preparation for the convention.

    Ngige said the fact that there were complaints in only about five out 36 states where state congresses were held, showed that the exercise was a success.

    The 12 sub-committees are Accreditation Committee, Appeals Committee, Screening Committee, Entertainment Committee, Transport Committee, Medical Committee, Media/ Publicity Committee, Accommodation Committee, Security Committee, Election Committee, Constitution Committee, and Protocol Committee.

    Each sub-committee comprises six members, Ngige said, stressing that the meeting at Agura Hotel was to assign roles to the different committees.

    He confirmed that the National Convention Committee was prepared to conduct a successful exercise on Friday.

    Ngige asked Nigerians to look forward “to seeing a convention that is transparent from which democratically elected leaders will emerge for our party in the next four years. In November or December, this particular executive we are going to put in place will organise another National Convention to elect our presidential candidate.”

  • ‘June 21 is about Ekiti’s future’

    ‘June 21 is about Ekiti’s future’

    Former  Ekiti State Governor Segun Oni recently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) over disagreements arising from the primaries for the June 21 governorship election. In this interview with Foreign Editor DAYO FAKUADE and Deputy political Editor RAYMOND MORDI, he bares his mind on his defection and  issues that are likely to shape the contest.

    What informed your decision to defect to the APC?

    My decision to leave the PDP was based on the emergence of Ayodele Fayose as the candidate of the party for the June 21 election. I could not reconcile myself with such a person holding the exalted office of governor again in Ekiti. I believe that whoever would be governor must be capable of being touted by all of us as role models for our children; whoever would be governor must be capable of living by example to show a lifestyle of character and of achievements that we can hold on to; whoever would be governor must be such that we would have reasonable confidence that when he goes out, he would not misbehave; whoever would be governor must be such that we would not foresee the danger of him putting our children at risk of becoming difficult to handle, in terms of lifestyle that could lead to criminality.

    So, that is the basis. It is about Ekiti. When Fayose was chosen as the governorship candidate of the PDP, I had the option of either changing my principles because of my party or changing my party because of my principles. My principles are far deeper; they are personal and stem from my upbringing, education, work life experience, my religious belief and so on. So, that may be more difficult to change, for me, at this age than a mere political party, especially since the basis for political partisanship is not yet ideological. The clear option before me therefore was to change my party and redeem my principles.

    It must have taken some measure of courage for you to embrace your former political foe. What is it about the style and character of Governor Kayode Fayemi that grabs you?

    Let’s look at it this way: we are looking at the future and we are comparing the two of them. We know that Governor Kayode Fayemi would not shame Ekiti; we can project that he is going to further improve on whatever we are and wherever we are. I cannot say that for the other person; I can’t do that with any measure of confidence. So, that’s already a deciding factor. Where do we want our children to be? Is it in a state that is more or less a pariah among its contemporaries? Is it to a state where they would not be proud to say they are from Ekiti? Do I want them to belong to a state where the governor would be making the headlines for the wrong reasons? It is very clear; you can’t compare both of them. We have seen both of them in power. We saw Fayose in action for three and half years. We have seen Governor Fayemi now; we can compare both of them. I don’t think anybody who means well would take a different option.

    When did the idea of dumping the PDP first occur to you?

    We foresaw the inkling that the PDP may be working towards a Fayose governorship. I was more or less a dilemma or blackmail for me, when this eventually materialised. Everybody’s attitude then was, are you not going to support your party? Are you going to join hands with your enemies against your party? I keep saying it, but the future for me is much larger than the past. Whatever that has happened in the past, we can allow it to go and sacrifice for our future and the future of our children. So, the moment the PDP finally made up its mind that it was going to be Fayose, people like me had been counted automatically out of the equation. What do I want, what do I need from system to make me condescend to make such compromises?

    Can you give us an assessment of the strength of Governor Fayemi that would make him win the June 21 election?

    By the grace of the Almighty God, Governor Kayode Fayemi would win this election very, very convincingly. We are working. For some of us, the candidature of Fayose automatically sells the governorship of Kayode Fayemi. The candidature of Fayose is a big selling point for him because most people know Fayose and what he represents and they would not want a return to the dark days. They would not want a return to those days when you are not sure whether there would be knocks on your door by people who are just unhappy that you are smiling. That is it; people have seen both of them, they know the one that has character and the one that has none. The values that we cherish are very important to our people. Of course, the vision of Ekiti that we want to see in the future is what would determine whose hands we are likely to entrust the governorship of the state beyond 2014.

    As a friend of the masses, I would say that Governor Fayemi has comported himself much better than Fayose. You are not a friend of the masses just because you go to the market square and make a show of eating a piece of banana or maize. Comparatively, the person who institutes a social welfare package for the aged is true friend of the masses. So, people are now asking questions, if somebody is parading himself our friend, what qualifications does he possess? What achievements does he have to make us believe that he is indeed our friend?

    You were governor of Ekiti State between 2007 and 2010 on the platform of the PDP. What do you consider as the strengths and weaknesses of the party in the state?

    No, I’m not going to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the PDP. I would not be fair. Let me tell you, I still have a lot of friends in the PDP today. They know that I was driven by principles to do what I did and I hope that many of them would eventually see the reason why they should not continue to remain in the party. But I I’m not going to do that by running the party down. I want to convince them to leave by showing them in clear and logical basis that this is where the future belongs. Some of them are already seeing the light.

    You’ve partly answered the next question, but let’s ask it all the same. What is your assessment of Ayodele Fayose as a candidate for the June 21 election?

    For me, he should not be touched with a long stick. I’m not saying this out of malice; I’m saying from the totality of what I know of him when he was governor before and what I still know of who he is. The political elite in this country should care about quality. If the political elite continues to bring forward people of questionable character for the highest offices of the land, those offices would lose value.

    But there is a perception that Fayose is still popular in certain quarters, particularly among the youths and the ordinary folks. What’s your reaction to this?

    You see, deceit is a weapon for propagating falsehood because falsehood itself is deceit personified. Yes, somebody goes to the market square, he buys a piece of roasted plantain and eats half of it right there in the public glare to show that he is a common man. Of course, people would hail him, because they have swallowed the charade that whoever can eat in the open is their friend. But what does that add to their life or future? The greatest friends of the common man in Nigeria would be people like the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo. This is in spite of the fact he did not eat openly on the streets. The friend of the common man is one who always thinks of lifting him from his present state to the next level.

    We are trying to sensitise them to realise that they don’t need to swallow such opium. As governor of Ekiti State, I never ate in the market place, but I introduced a micro-credit scheme. It is because of poor people. As governor of Ekiti State, I introduced the first scholarship scheme and the first scholarship board in the state. You will not believe that Ekiti did not have a scholarship scheme before then, in spite of its much-touted advancement in the field of education. We enjoyed scholarships in the days of the old Western Region that was instituted by the late Obafemi Awolowo, but we had none of our own until I put up one here. As far as I am concerned, that is consideration for the common man. We have seen Governor Fayemi continuing some of these programmes and even adding some of his own. One of his appellations is the husband of the aged, because he has instituted a welfare scheme for them. That’s what I call being a friend of the people.

    In spite of the multiplicity of candidates, the June 21 election is likely to be a three-horse race. Can you give us an assessment of how the three parties would fare in the 16 local government areas or the three senatorial districts, if you like?

    I would not like to do something like that. But let me tell you, I know and I believe that Governor Fayemi would win. I’m not even too sure who would come in the second position, whether it would be Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele or Fayose. Governor Fayose has an edge right now, but we see the trend rising for Hon. Bamidele and it may rise to such an extent that it would put Fayose’s second position in jeopardy.

    Do you see the votes from Ido/Osi Local Government becoming a deciding factor in this election because of the way it has voted in the past?

    The votes of every local government area are important. It just happens that Ido/Osi has always PDP in the past. But majority of those of us that worked behind the scene to bring about such development in the past are no longer in the PDP. A vast majority of us are now in the APC, while others have moved to the Labour Party. We are talking to our people, we know this terrain very well; 11 wards spread across 13 towns and villages. So, we believe that for the first time, it would be won by the APC.

    Are there  issues that may likely affect the pattern of voting in this election?

    This outcome of this election is likely to be decided on personality basis, rather than on partisan political interest basis. The people of Ekiti State are very smart; they are not going to be taken in by the propaganda of this party or that party.

    With your defection to the APC, what are you bringing on board for Governor Fayemi’s re-election bid?

    What I’m bringing on board for the re-election of Dr. Fayemi is whatever goodwill I have and whatever political experience I have garnered over the years as someone who has contested election before in this terrain. My experience would be a combination of my knowledge and understanding of the terrain, and the fact that I have contested elections twice and have been in charge twice before. It would also include the fact I have seen people do it right and I have seen people do it wrong and, with the power of recall, I can always identify what can enhance performance and what can endanger it. That’s experience.

    For goodwill, quite a number of people one way or the other believe in me. Some believe I possess attributes that inspire them, while others also say I ran government in a way that also inspire them. Some believe that I have credible results on the ground to show for my time in government. So, what it boils down to is that they are ready to follow me anywhere, even where the temperature is as hot as a one thousand degree centigrade oven.

    Beyond this election, what is  Segun Oni aspiring to do politically?

    I want to be of service to the people. I’m a service person and indeed one of the reasons why I came into politics is to be of service to the people. The things I see everyday makes me happy that people appreciate what I’m doing. I am enjoying a tremendous goodwill from the people I served while I was government and that makes me very happy. I don’t know what else that would thrill me that I have not enjoyed in the past. I was an expatriate in my mid 30s and I had a very good career. I’ve had a good life and I can no longer be taken by such razzmatazz. So, all I’m trying to do now is to find opportunities to pay back and the only way I can do so is by service. I want to be of service to the people, at any level I can find opportunities to do that. I’m not likely to do anything with expectation of something in return. But I will do it, if it falls within my projection of what service is all about.

    Nigeria has just marked 15 years of uninterrupted civilian rule. Can you give us an evaluation of what transpired in the past 15 years?

    In my own assessment, the past 15 years have not been bad. We are learning, we’re gathering experience and moving forward. Some people regard the past 15 years as slow motion, because as far as they are concerned, by now we should have overtaken the United States of America or other democracies. I don’t believe that is attainable. I believe that we can improve our speed. Democracy is all about development and we must continue to ensure that development remains the number one focus. That is why I quarrel with the political elite who always try to smuggle in people that are anti-development. We must continue to solve problems, bring changes, apply consistency of purpose in our drive towards making Nigeria a country of our dream. I believe that the opportunities that are coming would give us the chance to really achieve the kind of government whose speed would make government more of a comfort zone for the masses.

     

  • Supporters protest lawmakers’ suspension

    Supporters protest lawmakers’ suspension

    Several groups marched on the streets of Benin City, the Edo State capital, yesterday as the battle for the control of Edo State House of Assembly raged on.

    Some of the groups, comprising mainly youths, were pro-Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and pro-All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The pro-PDP group called for the recall of the four lawmakers suspended on Monday.

    Deputy Speaker Festus Ebea, Friday Ogieriakhi, Patrick Osayimwen and Jude Ise-Idehen were suspended for alleged misconduct.

    Leaders of the pro-PDP protesters Rotimi Adams and Ojo Godwin said they were on the streets to protest injustice.

    They carried placards with inscriptions, such as “Uyi Igbe stop this action”; “Lawmakers are not Lawbreakers”; “Mr. Speaker says no to Governor’s evil plan” “Edo State Youths are against the action of Uyi Igbe”; “Mr. Speaker do your work well”.

    Adams said the constitution allows for freedom of association and movement from one party to another.

    He said they would continue to protest, if the lawmakers were not recalled.

    The pro-APC protesters stormed the Assembly, alleging that PDP wants to make the state ungovernable.

    They accused the PDP of attempting to replicate what happened in Rivers State.

    Derrick Uhunmwagho, who spoke on their behalf, urged Edo people not to be afraid.

    He said: “Benin City is known for peaceful co-existence. APC youths will not allow anybody to foment trouble in the state. We will defend that which belongs to us.”

    A protester, Shola Clement, said they had seen the good work of Governor Adams Oshiomhole and as such would not allow the state to be returned to what he called “dark days”.

    His words: “We are aware of the fact that some people are out to disrupt the peace of Edo. We will stand against anybody who wants to bring trouble to this state.”

  • Tinubu, Lagos APC, O’odua group condemn police attack

    Tinubu, Lagos APC, O’odua group condemn police attack

    •IGP urged to sanction perpetrators 

    THE National Leader of the All progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and the Lagos State chapter of the party have condemned in the strongest terms, the attack by the police on Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi and the party members during a peaceful procession and campaign in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, last Sunday.

    The Lagos APC chapter specifically called on the Inspector General of Police Mohammed Abubakar to “quickly bring the perpetrators of that heinous crime against the constitution and Ekiti people to immediate justice.”

    It also demand the “immediate arrest and trial of the particular police officer from Bayelsa State who was commissioned to lead this provocative attack and we call for an open enquiry to ensure that all those behind this act of treason are brought to justice.”

    In a similar development, a pan-Yoruba group, O’odua Nationalist Coalition (ONAC), yesterday said the attack on the governor and APC members was a plot to eliminate him and a conscious assault on the hierarchy of the Yoruba leadership.

    The coalition, in the statement by its Head of Public Affairs, Chief Aliu Okunola, condemned the killing of Mr. Taiwo Akinola during the APC rally.

    Tinubu, in a statement by his Media Office, noted that the unprovoked attack on innocent citizens simply because they belong to another party was the height of political intolerance and heightens the doubts most Nigerians have about the ability of the Federal Government to guarantee free and fair elections in Ekiti, Osun states and in 2015.

    The APC leader observed that the open boasts and direct threats by the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to “capture” or win Ekiti back at all costs was beginning to manifest.

    “The impunity of the police officers in Ekiti and glaring partisanship is clearly endorsed by the power that be. We, in this instance, will demand for justice and enforcement of our fundamental human rights. I am fully with Governor Kayode Fayemi and the people of Ekiti State in confronting this rising tyranny and defeating barbaric tendencies,” Tinubu said.

    He joined many well-meaning Nigerians who demand and want peace in putting the international community on notice that the Federal Government is too desperate to be trusted to protect the fundamental rights of Nigerians and to conduct free and fair elections.

    “Nigerians are confronted with a government that sanctions impunity while laying false claims to being democratic.

    “What was the crime of APC members and their supporters in Ekiti that they were teargassed, shot at and killed? Is sweeping the streets and singing party songs in a peaceful procession now a crime in Jonathan’s country? If you are sure you have people to vote for you, while resort to violence means?

    “Political campaigns should be a celebration of democracy not war. Why are we promoting with the barrel of the gun and giving democracy tainted with the blood of the innocent to our people? This is not the liberty we seek or the democracy we need. What happened in Ekiti is criminal. It is unacceptable. It is a direct assault on the rights and freedom of an elected governor and his people. It must not be allowed to stand,” the party leader declared.

    Tinubu said APC believes in the contest of ideas, how to create jobs, provide security, ensure health infrastructure development and provide life more abundant for millions of our people.

    “APC is not about the promotion and perpetration of violence but about ideas and peaceful competition in an atmosphere that is free and fair. Our adversaries must be mindful also that nobody has the monopoly of violence. Peaceful and civilised approach to issues trumps violence. This government must rescue millions of Nigerians from their poverty rather than intimidate them with the police,” he said.

    Also condemning the provocative violence and mayhem on Fayemi, Senator Babafemi Ojudu and members of the APC in Ekiti State, the Lagos State APC chapter decried the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Olisa Metuh, for attempting “to justify this clear case of brigandage by the police on the members of the APC.”

    It warned that the party would resist every attempt by desperate politicians to force themselves on Nigerians in 2015.

    In a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Joe Igbokwe, the party sees the attack “as the height of provocation by a failed party that sees the police as its hatchet dogs in their desperate efforts to stay in power.”

    It warned that Nigerians would not sit idly by and watch the police and the PDP continue intimidating innocent Nigerians in a bid “to continue stealing the electoral mandates of Nigerians for the purpose of continuing the ruination that has crumbled the country in fifteen years of perilous PDP government of the country.”

    The statement also reads: “Nigerians remember that sometime ago, a National Leader of the APC has rightly said that the PDP is in alliance with the police and INEC and that unholy alliance has accounted why these institutions see themselves as malleable instruments in the inordinate desire of a failed party like the PDP to continue clinging on to power. We see the action of the police as the height of provocation not only to the institution of the governor but the entire constitution, democracy, rule of law and indeed by the entire Ekiti State and its peace loving people.

    “The haste with which the hare-brained PDP Publicity Secretary rushed to approve this brigandage and direct affront on the constitution of the land proves to all that the police was employed by the PDP to unleash violence on an Executive Governor of a state.

    “We are in no doubt that this ranks as the way the PDP wants to employ to retain power when it had completely ran down the country and made the country an object of ridicule before the international community.

    “We see the unprovoked attack on Governor Fayemi, Senator Ojudu and members of the APC in Ekiti, coming days after the military was employed to attack some newspapers in broad daylight, as another act of gangsterism which had served the PDP well in manipulating the electoral system to its unfair benefits, even as such wholesome manipulation has left Nigeria wrecked, destroyed and prostrate.”

  • ‘PDP plans telecoms cut, mass attack on APC’

    ‘PDP plans telecoms cut, mass attack on APC’

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has uncovered alleged plan by the national leadership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to breach telecommunication transmission networks in Ekiti State.

    The plan, APC claimed in a statement yesterday, is aimed at disrupting communication flow among poll monitors and members of staff of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    According to the party, this would also hamper communication among APC members by disallowing them from responding to distress calls in the trouble spots where PDP planned to rig elections and attack members.

    The statement by State Interim Chairman of APC, Chief Jide Awe, also said PDP planned “to begin unleashing mayhem in the state, killing APC members to be clad in PDP colours and then blame the act on APC.”

    It added that the plan was to paint APC members black before Nigerians, “thus necessitating extraordinary security measures by the Federal Government that will put fears in the minds of APC members after their leaders would have been arrested for murder.”

    Awe said aside planning to disrupt communication in the major telecommunication networks, two governorship candidates of PDP met and perfected “plans to start the orgy of violence, leading to the killings of APC members, covering the corpses in PDP colours and blaming it on APC leaders” with a view to arrest them for murder.

    This, APC said, would scare leaders and members of the party away from the streets on the day of election.

    The statement also reads: “We are aware of a meeting held at Spotless Hotel in Ado-Ekiti where PDP members received instruction to hit the town to unleash mayhem. They are to target APC members for attacks in their meetings and where the population of members is thick. They were assured of police protection in their violent attacks.

    “We are not surprised at the desperation of PDP. We have expected it. PDP knows it cannot win any election without violence.

    “They are planning to start killing our members and drape their bodies in PDP colours to appear as if APC is responsible for the killings. This will cause anger among the unsuspecting Nigerians against APC.

    “We had earlier alerted Nigerians on the plots by PDP to orchestrate violence in the state to create apathy among voters on the election day. We also called the attention of Nigerians to the cloning of voter’s cards by PDP to be illegally used by mercenaries to rig election. With PDP working in cahoots with the police, APC members will now be psychologically worn out while PDP members armed with the cloned cards would storm polling centres to illegally vote for their candidate,” the party said.

    The APC called world’s attention to the fact that Nigerians stood with President Goodluck Jonathan when he was disallowed by the enemies of democracy to be sworn in and recognised as the substantive President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    “Democratic expression by Nigerians won him that battle and today he is savouring the benefits of democratic principle. He should remember the past and act as a statesman.

    “We therefore call the attention of Nigerians to these devilish plans by PDP leaders in their desperation to manipulate the poll in favour of their candidate. We also call on the international community, poll observers, lovers of democracy and people of conscience around the globe to prevail on President Goodluck Jonathan to allow democracy work in Nigeria”, the statement said.

  • Police attack is assassination attempt, says Fayemi

    Police attack is assassination attempt, says Fayemi

    Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi yesterday described Sunday’s attack on his convoy by a police team as “an attempt to assassinate me”.

    He said the police action which led to the killing of an All Progressives Congress (APC) member, Taiwo Akinsola, was disrespectful of his office as the “Chief Security Officer of the state.”

    The Commander of Police Mobile Force in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, Gabriel Selenkere, allegedly fired the shot that killed Akinsola during the  symbolic sweeping of roads that Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members passed through during their rally last Saturday.

    Fayemi spoke to reporters in Ado-Ekiti before leaving for Abuja to take the case against Ekiti police’s conduct to Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Abubakar.

    He also spoke to reporters in Abuja after meeting with the police chief.

    Ekiti State Commissioner for Integration and Inter-government Affairs Mr. Funminiyi Afuye, who was assaulted by policemen and driven away from the scene on Sunday, has been transferred to Zone 8 Headquarters in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, it was learnt.

    His offence was not disclosed and effort to get Ekiti police spokesman Victor Babayemi’s reaction failed yesterday.

    Fayemi said: “My immediate interpretation of what happened yesterday (Sunday) is that there was an assault on the government and the people of Ekiti State and if one were to be extreme in one’s interpretation, we could go on and say it is an assassination attempt against the governor of Ekiti State.

    “That is why I am going to Abuja this morning to see Mr President and the Inspector General of police. I won’t like to jump into conclusions because I have spoken to the relevant people in authority and I believe appropriate steps will be taken”, Fayemi said.

    The governor said democracy needed the support of everyone to thrive, adding “The only way you can protect this democracy is to ensure that the security agencies, the electoral body and all state agencies must ensure that there is level playing field for all players. We don’t want a situation in which unprovoked attacks are levelled against innocent citizens.

    “The death of Taiwo Akinola was entirely avoidable. It was an avoidable death. It ought not to have happened at all and I am saddened that this has taken place. It’s very unfortunate. However we must learn lessons from this. It is two weeks to the election so we can not be back to the era of one day, one blood letting, in Ekiti State.

    “The peace that this state has enjoyed in the last three-and-a-half years must be sustained and I will like to think that all relevant authorities right from Mr President who is the chief of the security agencies will not want the peace reigning in Ekiti State in anyway disturbed.

    “We are not particular about any police officer being removed from Ekiti but when you have a situation when a police officer exhibits consistent bias in the discharge of his duty, then clearly the police authority should do the needful.

    “In the case of the O.C mobile who was there yesterday, directing his men to tear-gas my convoy, I believe the police authority will take action on that because I don’t want to dwell on an individual. I think it is the structure of the police arrangement itself we should look into”.

    Fayemi, who arrived at the Force Headquarters at 2. 15pm and was granted audience by the IGP almost immediately, protested the assault on his person, members of his executive and APC supporters in Ado Ekiti.

    Speaking with reporters after lodging his complaints with the IG, Fayemi said: “I have lodged a complaint with the IG and I believe the IGP will look at it dispassionately. He will investigate and take appropriate action. That is the least I expect .

    “I think officers have to be restrained in their conduct. I don’t think any officer is paid by the tax payers to shoot and behave in an irresponsible manner.

    “It is just not an assault on the collective cause that we have to deepen this democracy; it is also a denigration of the institution the officer represents. I do not believe the OC MOPOL ought to have behaved the way he did. He wasn’t professional.

    “It was a peaceful rally; it was a traditional thing APC does. Anytime there is a rally by the PDP, we come out the next day and sweep. That is our tradition, it’s a very innocuous, harmless thing, you could see them just sweeping. They are sweeping off whatever dirt remains.

    “The IGP was courteous enough to receive me and to also ask me to please expect him to act on the matter. That is the least one could expect from him. He is not going to take any precipitate measures until he has found out what exactly transpired.

    “If a governor is not protected, then ordinary citizens should not even expect the police to act in their interest”.

    Commenting on the matter at a parley with reporters yesterday, members of the Ekiti caucus in the National Assembly urged the immediate re-deployment of Selenkere from Ekiti.

    At the meeting were Senators Babafemi Ojudu (Ekiti Central); Olubunmi Adetumbi (North); Tony Adeniyi (South); Hon. Oyetunde Ojo (Ekiti

    Central 2), Ife Arowosoge (Ekiti South 1); Bamidele Faparusi (Ekiti South 2); and Bimbo Daramola (Ekiti North 1).

    Their leader Senator Ojudu, who spoke on behalf of others, described the assault on the governor an insult on the people of the state.

    He said: “It is so sad that we are dealing with people who are not ready for democracy. Those who are not ready  for free, fair and credible election.  But we want to sound a note of warning that the APC is ready to accept the verdict of a free and fair poll, but for anyone to impose his will on us, we will not accept that.

    “We are aware of their plans, but an attempt to cow or intimidate us will be resisted not only in the Southwest but across Nigeria. We are sending a petition to Mr President, Senate President, Senator David Mark, Speaker, House of Reps, Hon Aminu Tambuwal and the Inspector General of Police on the plan to humiliate our governor and the people of the State”.

  • APC accuses PDP of inciting violence in Kano

    APC accuses PDP of inciting violence in Kano

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of inciting the violence that followed the emergence of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as Emir of Kano last Sunday.

    The  PDP’s action was an attempt to destabilise the state, APC said.

    It urged the Kano State Attorney-General to prosecute all PDP officials involved “in this act of destabilisation”.

    In a statement yesterday in Lagos by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, APC condemned a statement by PDP’s Publicity Secretary Olisa Metuh congratulating one of the contenders “long before the Kano State Government announced the new Emir”.

    The party said the action was premeditated and calibrated to incite violence.

    It wondered why PDP, which has access to Kano or any state government, would rush to the media to congratulate a contender who had not been selected, without even contacting the selecting authority to ensure the veracity of whatever news it might have heard.

    “What is so urgent about congratulating the new Emir that could not have waited for a few hours for the appropriate authority to make an official announcement?” APC queried.

    The party said when the announcement was eventually made and the contender, who had already been congratulated lost out, “it is only natural that his supporters would feel short-changed”.

    APC said: “It is, therefore, obvious that the PDP, through its National Publicity Secretary, went out of its way to stoke the fire of violence in Kano.

    “Since we live in a country which is being governed by the rule of law, the best option open to the Kano State Government is for the Attorney-General to immediately initiate criminal proceedings against PDP and its officials for incitement. Whatever explanations they have for their irresponsible and premeditated actions, they should reserve for their defence in court.”

    But the PDP said APC’s statement was an attempt to blackmail the ruling party.

    Its spokesman, Olisa Metuh, acknowledged that he “made a mistake” on the announcement.

     

  • Sanusi emerged as Emir of Kano

    Sanusi emerged as Emir of Kano

    A CHIEFTAIN of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, Chief Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), has congratulated  former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, for ascending the throne of his forefathers as the Emir of Kano.

    In a statement yesterday, the former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) president noted that Sanusi was destined to become a monarch.

    Akeredolu said Sanusi’s enthronement as the new Emir of Kano, after the demise of the great Alhaji Ado Bayero,  “confirms the axiom that nobody can prevent the sun from rising”.

    He added: “The fact that this is coming immediately after tenure of office of SLS as governor of CBN, officially, should be a lesson to the ephemeral holders of transient power…

    “We must, however, hasten to admonish the new Emir to join other well-meaning Nigerians in the current fight against the Boko Haram insurgents, who are bent on wrecking our collective peace.”

     

     

    He must cast aside bitter recriminations and destructive anger against his persecutors. His new position must be used to achieve an unprecedented level of peace in the ancient city Kano and Nigeria.

    We congratulate the Emir and pray that the Almighty should grant him a peaceful reign and long life.

     

  • APC, others to Jonathan: don’t plunge Nigeria into crisis

    APC, others to Jonathan: don’t plunge Nigeria into crisis

    •Groups ask IG to transfer OC MOPOL from Ekiti

    The All Progressives Congress (APC), Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) and Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG) yesterday led other groups and individuals in decrying the violence unleashed by the police on the party members in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital on Sunday.

    The APC alleged that indications showed that the police are acting out a script written by the Presidency and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to foment trouble in the Southwest ahead of the 2015 general elections.

    Its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in a statement issued in Lagos yesterday, blamed the Presidency and the PDP for the violence.

    Besides, the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, has been urged to redeploy the Ekiti State Mobile Police Commander, Gabriel Selenkere Michael, out of the state.

    A political pressure group, Ekiti Youth Emancipation Movement (EYEM) said Selenkere, by his attack on Governor Kayode Fayemi on Sunday, had demonstrated that he was out to either maim or assassinate the governor, hence the call for his redeployment.

    EYEM President, Mr. Taiwo Olatunji, in a statement, said: “Ekiti people no longer trust the OC MOPOL and are prepared to defend their governor against Abuja onslaught.”

    Also yesterday, the APC in Osun State said the killing was the actualisation of Vice President Mohammed Sambo’s promise to go to war in Ekiti and Osun states in order to seize political power in the two states.

    According to a statement by the party’s State Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy, Kunle Oyatomi, Sambo was still in Ekiti when police from Abuja allegedly shot the APC member and injured many others.

    “This callous and barbaric action of the police mobile unit, under the command of a Bayelsa-born officer, one Gabriel Selekere, signifies the Federal Government’s opening of a second war front in the Western part of the country, in addition to the war against Boko Haram in the North.”

    But Mohammed, in his statement, wondered why the police, who are paid by taxpayers to maintain law and order, would turn their weapons on the same defenceless citizens they are paid to protect.

    The statement reads: “But for the action of the police, led by the head of Mopol in Ekiti, Gabriel Selekere, the peaceful procession by the APC members would not have degenerated into violence, during which a harmless citizen was apparently shot dead by the police.

    “Our members were carrying brooms, not weapons, and were singing and dancing as they marched through the streets in the best tradition of political rallies. Their procession was peaceful and carnival-like until the police unleashed teargas and live bullets on them without provocation, killing one person and injuring many. Even the governor of the state was not spared by these trigger-happy policemen. This is unacceptable in any civilised society and must be condemned by all Nigerians,” APC said.

    The party, however, said it was not surprised at the ferocity of the attack by armed policemen on the peaceful members of the APC, as it fits perfectly into the desperation of President Goodluck Jonathan and his party to capture Ekiti State at all cost as a leeway to entering the South-west ahead of 2015.

    “The President, who said his ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian, has apparently forgotten he ever made such a comment.

    Otherwise, how does he explain the bloodied body of a peaceful protester who was apparently shot dead by policemen acting out a script? How does he explain that the blood-thirsty policemen, who behaved more like hooligans, were led by an officer (Selekere) who has consistently been hostile to the state governor?

    “Is it by coincidence that the killer policemen were led by no other than Selekere, who once unilaterally transferred all mobile policemen attached to the governor simply because he could not compromise them to set up the Governor, until he was overruled by the IG?

    “Is it also a mere coincidence that a new Brigade Commander,

    Brig.-Gen. Momoh, whom they believed to be pliable and willing to do their hatchet job, has been posted from Minna to Akure ahead of the Ekiti elections, to replace Brig.-Gen. A.B. Dikko who refused to be compromised and allow the PDP to rig the recent bye-election in Ondo State?

    “The Presidency and the PDP should know that Ekiti people will not allow a blood-thirsty and compromised Mopol Commander, a Brigade Commander or even the Presidency to pick their governor for them on June 21st. They will defend their votes to the hilt, whether or not the FG floods the state with security personnel in an attempt to intimidate and harass the people,’’ it said.

    APC said the orchestration of violence in Ekiti on Sunday, a day after President Jonathan hinted that he had deliberately stifled development in the state by saying he would develop the state once the PDP is voted into office, has shown that the Presidency and the PDP have no qualms about plunging the country into chaos just to realize their ambition of capturing the state and the region.

    “It is for this reason that we appeal to all the good people of Ekiti State in particular and all Nigerians in general to be vigilant in the days ahead. Whatever happens in Ekiti before, during and after the forthcoming election will be a barometer for measuring the desperation or otherwise of the Presidency/PDP ahead of the August election in Osun State and the general elections in 2015.

    “On our part, we will closely monitor and expose all the shenanigans of the Presidency and the PDP to set Ekiti ablaze, destabilise the Southwest and indeed plunge the entire country into crisis just because of an unbridled desperation for power. We urge our members in Ekiti to remain peaceful despite the provocation from the PDP and its cohorts,” the party said.

    The ARG, in a statement by its Programme Officer, Segun Balogun, said the police officer was alleged to have boasted that “he was carrying out orders from above”.

    The ARG said it had warned earlier that the President has a bounded duty to all Nigerians to ensure that the elections in Ekiti State and in all states of the federation are free and fair.

    “Our doubts regarding his capacity for fairness however deepened when Alhaji Namadi Sambo, the vice president, stated that his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was going to war in the Ekiti gubernatorial election.

    “Yoruba people would however not allow anyone, including the suppressive and oppressive central government, whose recent attack on the media nationwide, signals the return of the worst days of the Abacha military dictatorship, to subvert their will.

    “We stood in collaboration with other well-meaning Nigerians to see to the end of military rule in Nigeria. We will not under any circumstance allow the subjugation of any part of Yoruba land and space again. We demand free and fair elections, and we will join the good people of Ekiti State in resisting the planned subversion of their will,” the ARG stated.

    The CDHR also condemned the killing and use of state apparatus against APC members during their rally.

    CDHR urged the officer-in-charge and the Police Commissioner of the state to be brought to face the consequences of their actions against defenceless people.

    In a statement, the National Vice- President of the committee, Comrade Taiwo Otitolaye, said: “It is not surprised at the turn of events in Ekiti State over the governorship elections coming up on June 21, 2014.

    “The emergence of Ayo Fayose as the PDP candidate would have ordinarily thrown an atmosphere of violence to an average intelligent person, given Fayose’s antecedence.

    “We condemn the act of banditry, killings and the use of state apparatus against the All Progressive Congress members during their campaigns at Ado-Ekiti. This is the height of provocation and primitive acts of lawlessness in the polity.”

  • APC’s statement on Kano riot a blackmail, says PDP

    APC’s statement on Kano riot a blackmail, says PDP

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday accused the spokesman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Lai Mohammed, of blackmailing his PDP counterpart, Mr Olisa Metuh.

    This followed the APC statement calling for the prosecution of Metuh for causing violence in Kano, after congratulating the wrong candidate for the position of the Emir of Kano before the official announcement.

    Metuh’s statement, which was loaded with invectives – his usual style – acknowledged that he “made an innocent mistake” over the incident.

    The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to an inciting and misleading statement by Lai Mohammed wherein he again exhibited his penchant for insane blackmail by calling for the arrest of the PDP National Publicity Secretary.

    “We are indeed shocked by this statement and wonder what sort of dirty individual that could be so unprofessional, unprincipled and unethical.

    “Indeed, it appears that lying Lai Mohammed has gone delusional and requires urgent medical attention. Has he become a low life who can go to any extent to score a cheap a political point?

    “It is public knowledge that we made an innocent mistake but immediately withdrew it and tendered an unreserved apology well before the official announcement of the new emir was made.

    “What does Lai Mohammed have to say to Mallam Lamido Sanusi Lamido himself who tweeted at about 8.59am that same Sunday that Alhaji Lamido Ado Bayero has emerged emir?” What does he have for credible electronic and print media organizations who broke the news of the emergence of Ado Bayero as emir upon which prominent Nigerians issued statements congratulating him.

    “We also wish to remind Nigerians of the endless personal attacks by Lai Mohammed on the person of the PDP National Publicity Secretary. In fact, we are aware of the well oiled machinery by the APC for continuous campaign of calumny to discredit and demonise the PDP National Publicity Secretary and other PDP leaders for no just cause.

    “Nigerians often wonder why the APC is seen as a religious, violent and ethnic party. They can now see that this also has to do with the character and content of their spokesperson.

    “Our final advice to Lai Mohammed regarding his incessant lies and insults is for him to seek professional help on his mental state before it becomes too late.”